Loose leaf binder



Patented Nov. 6, 1934 o STATES LOOSE LEAF BINDER Application Marcil 2,

8 Claims.

This invention relates lto certain new and useful improvements in loose leaf binders and refers more particularly to loose leaf binders of the type in which a body of leaves is clamped between two binder heads to which the covers oi the binder are hingedly connected.

It is an object of this invention to provide a locking mechanism for securing a binder head to the posts upon which the loose leaves are impaled, which locking mechanism has means for automatically equalizing the gripping force applied to the two posts to take care of inaccuracies of construction such as' variations in thel diameter of the posts, the location of the biting edges of the locking dogs and to also compensate for wear.

A further object of this invention is to provide a locking mechanism of the character described, which not only automatically equalizes itself, but is so constructed as to have a smooth easy operation and capable of actuation by nothing more than a small thumb screw, thus obviating the customary key.

And a still further object of this invention is to provide a locking device of the character described which is of simple construction comprising but a few readily assembled parts.

With the above and other objects in View which will appear as the description proceeds, my invention resides in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafter described and more particularly dened by the appended claims, it being understood that such changes in the precise embodiment of the herein disclosed invention may be made as come within the scope of the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, I have illustrated two complete examples of the physical embodiment of my invention constructed accordio ing to the best modes I have so fardevised for the practical application of the principles thereof, and in which:

Figure 1 is a front view of a loose leaf binder of the character described with parts broken away and in section to illustrate structural details;

Figure 2 is a top View partly in section taken on the plane of the line 2--2 of Figure l;

Figure 3 is a detail perspective view of the lock-ing mechanism employed in the embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 and 2;

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 2 illustrating a modified embodiment of the invention;

Figure 5 is a cross section view taken through Figure 4 on the plane of the line 5 5, and

1933, s eriai No. 659,252

Figure 6 is a view partly in section and partly in elevation taken on the plane of the line 6--6 of Figure 4.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings and especially to Figures 1, 2 and 3, the numerals 5 and 6 designate lower and upper binder heads, respectively, between which a stack of loose leaves 7 is adapted to be clamped. The lower binder head 5 has a pair of upright posts 8 attached thereto on which the leaves are impaled in the customary manner, the posts 8 preferably being sectional to permit increasing their length to compensate for additional leaves.

The binder heads 5 and 6 are of generally oblong tubular cross section and as illustrated, are rolled from a single length of sheet metal with the seam of their meeting edges facing inwardly f toward the covers 9, only one being shown. The covers 9 are hingedly mounted on rods l0, whose opposite ends are fixed in hinge lugs ll.

Each hinge lug 11 has a portion 12 of a size and shape to t within and to close one end of the tubular binder head. One of the lugs has an actuating screw 13 either threaded directly therein with its inner end inside the binder head, or as illustrated, threaded in a nut member 14 of harder metal which is set into an opening 15 in the lug portion 12. Rivets 16 secure the lugs in the ends of the head.

It is to be noted that the lugs have walls l'l encircling the portionsl2 to abut directly against the ends of the head. The hinge lugs are thus rigidly supported against movement toward the center yof the binder head, and this feature is of importance as the reaction force incidental to the actuation of the screw 13 to actuate the locking mechanism, to be later described, is thus imparted directly to the binder head.

As stated, the sectional posts 8 are fixed to the lower binder head 5 in any suitable manner as by being threaded into bushings 19 xed thereto and the upper outer ends of the posts are freely received in and passed through aligned openings 20 in the top and bottom walls 21 and 22 respectively, of the upper binder head.

The openings 20 are suiiiciently large to loosely receive the posts and permit the upper binder head to be forced down onto the stack of leaves. In this position the binder head is adapted to be secured by a novel locking mechanism, indicated generally by the numeral 27.

Inasmuch as the location of the openings 20 through which the posts pass may be slightly olf with respect to the exact distance between the posts, and as the edges of the openings and the post engaging elements o' the locking mechanism are subject to wear, it is desirable that the locking mechanism be automatically equalizing to compensate for such variation or wear.

It is also desirable that the equalization be eirected without disturbing the parallel disposition of the posts or in other words, without jamming the posts toward each other or spreading them away from each other. The novel locking mechanism 27 obtains all of the desired results.

This mechanism consists of a iiat bar 28 having an elongated opening 29 in one end for the reception of one of the posts 8 and having a side portion cut away at its opposite end to leave a narrow strip 30. The extreme end of this strip 30 is pivotally connected as at 31 to a cross piece 32, the length of which is substantially equal tothe width oi' the bar 28. l

To the opposite end of the cross piece 32, a link BBis pivotally connected as at 34. The link 33 is formed of the same metal as the bar 28 and lies in the same plane. Its portion 35 attached to the cross bar 32 is narrow like the strip ,30 and its end portion 36 remote from the bar 32 is of increased width to occupy the space formed by cutting away one side or the bar 23 so that the outer edge or the link 33 aligns with the adjacent edge of the bar 28. The space left between the strip 30 and an end portion 35 of the link corresponds to the elongated opening 29 at the opposite end of the bar 28 and is adapted to receive therein, the other post 8.

Secured to the bar 28 adjacent its opening 29 and to the portion 36 of the link 33 are two similar spring locking elements or dogs 37. These locking dogs are formed of spring steel and have a ilat attaching portion 38 which is riveted as at 39 to the bar 28 and portion 36 of the link 33, and an upwardly inclined flange 40. The upwardly inclined flanges 40 have curved recesses 41, the edges of which are adapted to engage the posts 8 and upon the application of tension to the mechanism in the manner now about to be described, .bite intothe posts and securely wedge is clearly illustrated in Figure 3 `and comprisesv a block 43 pivotally attached as at 44 to the cross bar, and provided with a round bottomed recess 45 extending thereacross in which a reduced neck 46 on the inner end or the screw is freely rotatably received. The shoulders at the ends of the reduced neck of the screw obviously hold the block against axial movement with respect to the screw, so that upon inward and outward motionof the screw effected by the application of turning force thereto, the entire locking mechanism will be moved longitudinally within the binder head.

To preclude the head 47 of the screw wedging against the adjacent end of the binder head during the tensioning or" the locking mechanism, the thread is left-handed so that upon the application of the normal right hand rotation to the screw, the locking mechanism will be drawn toward the nut in which the screw is threaded while the head of the screw will move away fromA the adjacent end of the binder head.

The manner'in which the locking mechanismA equalizes itself is deemed to be apparent from the disclosure. It is also evident that in View of the fact that the locking dogs are of spring steel and yield during the application of tension to the locking mechanism, an unusually smooth and easy action is afforded.

It is also observed that the locking force engendered by the screw is applied to both locking members at one end of the binder head and that the same type of force is applied to both locking members, both being in tension when in action. This fact adds greatly to the smoothness of operation.

The speciiic manner in which the hinge lug with its nut member 14 in which the screw 13 is threaded, is mounted or attached to the binder head, as hereinbefore stated, affords a positive support for the reaction force incidental to the locking action.

It is, of course, understood that in its locked position, the locking mechanism bears against the inner face of the bottom wall 22 of the binder head and, for this purpose tang 28 may be struck from the bar 28 to hold the same down on the `r`bottom wall 22.

In the embodiment thus described, the locking action is established by drawing the locking mechanism toward the nut member 14. This action may be reversed if desired, so that the mechanism is forced away from the nut member during the locking action and in Figures 4, 5 and 6, a modied embodiment of the invention is disclosed illustrating such an arrangement.

In this embodiment of the invention, the general association of the elements, that is, the lower and upper binder heads 5 and 6 respectively and the sectional posts 8, is the same.

The hinge lugs are, however, or" different construction. In place of those described in .conjunction with the preferred embodiment illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3 there are tubular units 48 which have projecting noses 49 to which the hinge rods are attached, and spaced parallel flanges 50 adapted to be received between the upper and lower walls of the binder heads, where they are secured by rivets 51, which also pass through nut members 52 in which the pressure applying screws 53 are threaded.

The pressure applying screw has a squared outer end 54, with which an actuating head 55 is non-rotatably engageable. The actuating head 55 has a reduced shank 56 which passes through an opening in the outer wall of the tubular member 48 and an enlarged knurled head 57.

The locking mechanism comprises a longitudinally shiftable bar 72 having a V-shaped cut 73 at one end and having its other end pivotally connected as at '74 to a cross piece 75. The edges of the V-shaped. cut 73 are engageable with one of the posts 8. The other post is engaged by the edges or" a V-shaped cut 73' in a member 76, which1 is also pivotally connected as at 77 to the cross piece 75. The cross piece 75 has an undercut opening 78 to receive the head 60 on the inner end of the pressure applying screw.

The bar 72 and the member 76 are held in their Levanto The operation of this embodiment of the invention is deemed evident from the drawings.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains, that this invention affords a novel locking device for loose leaf binders which automatically equalizes itself and grips both posts with equal force, and that the locking mechanism has great leverage and thus provides a smooth easy action.

What I claim as my invention is:

l. In a loose leaf binder including spaced posts and a binder head engageable with the posts, means to secure the binder head to the posts comprising, spaced locking dogs movable into operative engagement with the posts, an actuating screw threaded in a part rigid with the binder head and having an exposed head by which rotation is readily imparted to the screw, means connecting the actuating screw with the spaced locking dogs to apply axial motion of the screw to the locking dogs, and the thread on the screw being such that upon normal right hand turning of the screw, the locking dogs are moved into operative engagement with the posts and the head of the screw is moved away from the adjacent wall of the binder head.

2. In a loose leaf binder including spaced posts and a binder head engageable therewith, means to secure the binder head to the posts comprising, independent members movable longitudinally with respect to the binder head, locking dogs carried by the independent members and engageable with the posts in a clamping action upon movement of said members in one direction, an actuating screw threaded in a part fixed with respect to the binder head with the head of the screw exposed to enable the application of turning force thereto, and equalizing means to connect said independent members with the actuating screw comprising, a cross piece pivotally connected with each of said independent members, and a pivotal connection between said cross piece and the inner end portion of the actuating screw.

3. In a loose leaf binder including spaced posts and a binder head having openings to loosely receive the posts, locking mechanism to secure the binder head to the posts comprising, an actuating screw threaded in a part fixed with respect to the binder head to be shiftable longitudinally with respect to the binder head upon rotation of the screw, a lever loosely connected to said actuating screw between one of the posts and the adjacent end of the binder head, independent members pivotally connected to the opposite ends of the lever, and means on said independent members engageable with the posts to clamp the posts between said means and the opposite peripheries of the openings.

4. In a loose leaf binder including spaced posts and a binder head having openings to loosely receive the posts, locking mechanism to secure the binder head to the posts comprising, a locking member for each post, said locking members being movable in the same direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the binder head to clamp their respective posts against the opposite peripheral edge portions of the openings in which they are received, actuating means at one end of the binder head, and a connection between said actuating means and each of said locking members adjacent said end of the binder head, said connection comprising, a cross piece Apivotally connected at its opposite ends to the locking members, and a screw threaded in a part iixed with respect to the binder head and loosely connected to said cross piece.

5. In a loose leaf binder including spaced posts and a binder head having openings to loosely receive the posts, locking mechanism to secure the binder head to the posts comprising independent locking members each movable longitudinally within the binder head and each having post engaging means so located with respect to the posts that longitudinal movement of both of said locking members in the same direction clamps the posts between said post engaging means and the opposite peripheral edge portions of the openings in which the posts are received, and actuating means for the locking members operable to move both locking members to and from active positions, said actuating means being so located with respect to the post engaging means of the locking members that both locking members are placed in tension during the application of locking force thereto.

6. In a loose leaf binder including spaced posts and a binder head having openings to loosely receive the posts, locking mechanism to secure the binder head to the posts comprising, a locking bar disposed within the binder head and extending from one post to the other with a part extending past said other post, a second locking bar adjacent said other post and having a part substantially opposite said designated part of the first mentioned locking bar, locking dogs carried by said locking bars to be engageable with the posts upon longitudinal shifting of said bars in one direction to clamp the posts between said dogs and the opposite peripheral edge portions of the openings in the binder head, and actuating means connected to said designated parts of the locking bars, and operable to apply tension to both of said locking bars to move them in said direction necessary to render them operative.

7. In a loose leaf binder including spaced posts and a binder head having openings toloosely receive the posts, locking mechanism to secure the binder head to the posts comprising two locking bars disposed within the binder head, one of said locking bars having a part adjacent one post and having its opposite end portion cut away adjacent the other post to provide space for the other locking bar, both of said locking bars having end portions disposed between said` other post and the adjacent end of the binder head, spring locking dogs carried by the locking bars to be engageable with the posts to clamp the same against the opposite peripheral edge portions of the openings in the binder head upon movement of said locking bars toward said designated end of the binder head, and actuating means at said designated end of the binder head and connected to said projected end portions of the locking bars to draw the same into operative relationship.

8. In a loose leaf binder including spaced posts and a binder head having openings to loosely receive the posts, locking mechanism to secure the binder head to the posts comprising two locking bars disposed within the binder head, one of said locking bars having a part adjacent one post and having its opposite end portion cut away adjacent the other post to provide space for the other locking bar, both of said locking bars having end portions disposed between said other post and the adjacent end of the binder head, spring locking dogs carried by the locking bars to be engageable with the posts to clamp the same against the opposite peripheral edge portions of the openings bars through which force engendered by the actuating screw is equally applied to both locking bars to eiect their locking action.

ADOLPH G. LOTTER. 

